Dad who sang to dying infant son thanks mourners

LOMA LINDA, California — A memorial has been held in Southern California for a mother and her infant son whose deaths brought an outpouring of grief and prayers on the Internet this past week.

A video of Lennon James Picco’s father performing the gentle Beatles’ ballad “Blackbird” as the infant clung to life in the hospital quickly went viral. The boy, who was born by emergency C-section after his mother, Ashley, died in her sleep, passed away a day after the tender moment was filmed.

He was only four days old.

Chris Picco told mourners on Saturday that he was overwhelmed by the many calls and messages of support he received, including from strangers apparently touched by his story. He said he wants something good to come out of “this unspeakable tragedy.”